Circuits are the highest-level administrative divisions of the Bar of England and Wales and His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service. [1] Today, they serve as professional associations for barristers practicing within their areas, as well as administrative divisions for the purposes of administration of justice.
There are six circuits in total: Midland, Northern, North Eastern, Western, Wales and Chester, and South Eastern.
There is also the European Circuit, which is an association of barristers with interests in European law. Though it is called a circuit and recognised by the Bar Council, it does not serve any administrative or judicial purposes. [2]
Circuits are divided along local authority area borders. [3]
The term "circuit" is derived from the English custom of itinerant courts whose judges periodically travelled on pre-set paths—circuits—to hear cases from different areas. In 1293, a statute was enacted which formally defined four assize circuits. [4] These would change frequently over the next few centuries.
By the 1500s, there were six different circuits: Home, Midland, Northern, Oxford, Northern, and Western. This remained largely constant until the 19th century. Twice each year, judges "literally rode each circuit," meaning that a pair of common law judges assigned to a circuit rode on horseback through all the county towns and several other important towns in each circuit and heard cases. [5]
The current circuits originate from the 1969 Beeching Commission, which recommended the merger of the Midland and Oxford circuits. Since then only minor boundary changes have been made, such as in the 1998 Review of Criminal Justice Boundaries. [6]
Circuits effectively function as professional associations for barristers, providing support and advice for their members. They work with HM Courts and Tribunals Service and other government bodies, as well as hosting continuing professional development and social events. [3]
Each circuit is represented on the Bar Council through its leader and other appointed representatives. [7]
They are closely linked with specialist bar associations, who may appoint representatives to each circuit. [8]
Circuits also serve a judicial function as judges (except for judges of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court) are appointed to, and will only sit in, a specific circuit. This avoids judges having to travel large distances to hear cases. [9]
The circuits system is overseen by the Lord Chancellor. [10]
Each circuit elects a leader to represent it, to serve a three-year term. The current leaders are:
Circuit | Leader | Election | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
Midland | Michelle Heeley | 2021 | [11] |
Northern | Jaime Hamilton | 2022 | [12] |
North Eastern | Jason Pitter | 2023 | [13] |
Western | Jo Martin | 2022 | [14] |
South Eastern | Leon Kazakos | 2021 | [15] |
Wales and Chester | Caroline Rees | 2022 | [16] |
Potential leaders must be King's Counsel. A circuit may also appoint other leadership positions, such as a circuit junior or treasurer, [17] who will often form its executive committee.
Circuit leaders are entitled to sit on the Bar Council ex officio.
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching the law and giving legal opinions.
In the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth realms, a King's Counsel is a lawyer appointed by the state as a senior advocate or barrister with a high degree of skill and experience in the law. When the reigning monarch is a woman, the title is Queen's Counsel (QC).
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Circuit courts are court systems in several common law jurisdictions. It may refer to:
A recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales and some other common law jurisdictions.
Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. Barristers have traditionally had the role of handling cases for representation in court, both defence and prosecution.
Circuit judges are judges in England and Wales who sit in the Crown Court, the County Court and some specialized sub-divisions of the High Court of Justice, such as the Technology and Construction Court. There are currently over 600 circuit judges throughout England and Wales.
The Northern Circuit is a circuit of the General Council of the Bar and English judiciary.
There are various levels of judiciary in England and Wales—different types of courts have different styles of judges. They also form a strict hierarchy of importance, in line with the order of the courts in which they sit, so that judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales are given more weight than district judges sitting in county courts and magistrates' courts. On 1 April 2020 there were 3,174 judges in post in England and Wales. Some judges with United Kingdom-wide jurisdiction also sit in England and Wales, particularly Justices of the United Kingdom Supreme Court and members of the tribunals judiciary.
The General Council of the Bar, commonly known as the Bar Council, is the representative body for barristers in England and Wales. Established in 1894, the Bar Council is the "approved regulator" of barristers, but discharges its regulatory function to the independent Bar Standards Board. As the lead representative body for barristers in England and Wales, the Bar Council’s work is devoted to ensuring the Bar’s voice is heard, efficiently and effectively, and with the interests of the Bar as its focus.
The assizes, or courts of assize, were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes exercised both civil and criminal jurisdiction, though most of their work was on the criminal side. The assizes heard the most serious cases, most notably those subject to capital punishment or, later, life imprisonment. Other serious cases were dealt with by the quarter sessions, while the more minor offences were dealt with summarily by justices of the peace in petty sessions.
Dame Julia Wendy Macur, DBE, known as The Rt Hon Lady Justice Macur, is a British judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. Between April 2017 and December 2019, she was the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales.
Dame Geraldine Mary Andrews, DBE, styled The Rt. Hon. Lady Justice Andrews, is a Lady Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.
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